Cultural Center of the Philippines

Leandro V. Locsin is a well-known architect, artist, and interior designer in the Philippines. He was known for his stylistic style such as floating designs, simplistic designs, and using material like concrete. He was born and raised in Negros Occidental, City of Silay, and was the grandchild of the first elected governor of the said province. Locsin pursued a degree in pre-law in De La Salle College Manila, but he then later decided to shift his attention to a Musical degree at the University of Santo Tomas. Despite being a talented musician, he shifted his focus to Architectural degree one year prior to him finishing his degree in music. Locsin was commissioned left and right to create different projects. Some of his notable masterpieces are The Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, Rizal Park Amphitheater, and many more. In 1990, Locsin was hailed as a National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture. His life was concluded on November 15, 1994 after suffering from a stroke.

Ildefonso P. Santos Jr., also called as IP Santos, was a Filipino Architect hailed for being the “Father of Philippine Landscape Architecture” after pioneering the landscape architecture in the Philippines. He was the child of Ildefonso Santos—a well-known Filipino poet—and Asuncion Paez, and was raised in Malabon, Rizal. After he got his degree in Architecture in 1954 at the University of Santo Tomas, he then immediately got his master’s degree at the University of Southern California School of Architecture. After his studies, he began his professional career and constructed some architectural masterpieces in Philippine history such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Manila Hotel, Rizal Park, and many more. Because of his aforementioned success, he was hailed as a National Artist of the Philippines in the field of Architecture last 2006. He also received some notable rewards like Patnubay ng Kalinangan, Parangal ng Bayan, and Outstanding Professional for Landscape Architecture. His life was concluded on January 29, 2014 due to heart failure.